While Sydney trainer Marc Conners is usually jumping for joy at the prospect of nabbing an inside gate for one of his horses, his barrier draw of one for this Saturday’s Hawkesbury Guineas is extremely unwelcome.

With substantial rain falling on Hawkesbury Racecourse throughout the week, and with more expected to come, the inside barrier Conners drew for his horse Pimpala Secret could not have come at a worse time.

“You always like to draw a nice barrier and in the majority of cases barrier one is fantastic; but with the expected heavy track at Hawkesbury it’s possibly one occasion I would have preferred drawing further out in the field,” Conners said.

“He is going to have to travel along the fence for the major part of the race which is likely to be cut up by his race (Race 7).”

Despite the setback, Conners feels that Pimpala Secret is primed to perform to his peak in this weekend’s race.

“Anyway, not to worry, the horse is in great shape and we’re confident of being right in the thick of things at the finish,” Conners said.

“He should have no problems with the wet track. He is rock hard fit and rearing to go.”

Hawkesbury Race Club’s CEO, Brian Fletcher, is happy with the way the track has held up against the heavy downpours and is confident the meeting will not have to be abandoned.

“We don’t seem to have had the amount of rain Sydney has received and if we raced now it would be a Heavy 8,” Mr Fletcher said.

“We’re just hoping for some sort of break in the weather, but there are no dramas with the meeting going ahead.”